Doctors and state officials say a mix of heroin and a class of drugs called benzodiazepines are fueling Maine's drug crisis.Jeana Coggins, of Saco, never wants a redo of 2011.“I needed hope so bad at that point,” said Coggins, now 41 months sober. "That was the worst year of my life.”It’s spring of 2011, and Coggins had lost custody of her daughter. She is homeless and taking opiates, cocaine and benzodiazepines – benzos for short.Benzos are a class of drugs doctors call “alcohol in a pill,” and when used properly, they can treat anxiety, working as a sedative."It is absolutely a great tool for a mental illness, but it can also do so much harm,” Coggins said.Coggins was staying at a Portland hotel when she took several benzos at once, on top of the heroin and cocaine already in her system.Related: Maine's Heroin EpidemicThe next morning, she slept through the hotel manager banging at the door. The police showed up next."They were afraid I was dead,” she said. "Because I had taken a bunch of benzos to go to bed the night before, I never woke up to my wake-up call."Police arrested Coggins and charged her with cocaine possession. Then, with more benzos in her system, she rolled her father’s truck.She does not remember much."It was snowing, and that's pretty much it,” she said.That missed wake-up call earlier in 2011 turned into a real-life one. Coggins then got help.Dr. M. Ed. Kelley is the chief medical officer for behavioral health at St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center."A lot of people are dying because of the mixture,” Kelley said, saying benzo abuse is part of Maine’s heroin epidemic.Kelley said he sees the abuse every week, because he said the pills are cheap, widely prescribed and can enhance an opiate’s effects."Most of my patients are using both. It's not an either-or,” he said.They’re also deadly. Benzos killed more Mainers in 2014 than heroin.According to the Maine Office of Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services, more than one in three overdose deaths in 2014 involved benzos. One in four overdose deaths involved heroin or other opiates. In 2014, benzos played a role in 70 overdose deaths, compared to 57 from heroin.According to the Centers for Disease Control, the prescribing rate in Maine ranked first for long-acting/extended-release opioid pain relievers for every 100 people in 2012. Maine ranked 22nd for benzodiazepines.“They add to the overdose deaths, then they kill people when they're coming off of them,” Kelley said.The danger, he said, is that withdrawing from benzos can lead to seizures, hallucinations and even death.Back in Saco, Coggins spends most of her time as a recovery advocate, helping women fighting substance-abuse disorder.In December, she received her associate degree in behavioral health and human services, and this fall, she’s going for her bachelor’s degree.She now has full custody of her daughter.“This is who I am,” Coggins said. “All those charges and losing custody of my daughter, those aren't who I am. Today, I am proud of who I am."

PORTLAND, Maine —

Doctors and state officials say a mix of heroin and a class of drugs called benzodiazepines are fueling Maine's drug crisis.

"A lot of people are dying because of the mixture,” Kelley said, saying benzo abuse is part of Maine’s heroin epidemic.

Kelley said he sees the abuse every week, because he said the pills are cheap, widely prescribed and can enhance an opiate’s effects.

"Most of my patients are using both. It's not an either-or,” he said.

They’re also deadly. Benzos killed more Mainers in 2014 than heroin.

According to the Maine Office of Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services, more than one in three overdose deaths in 2014 involved benzos. One in four overdose deaths involved heroin or other opiates. In 2014, benzos played a role in 70 overdose deaths, compared to 57 from heroin.

WMTW

According to the Centers for Disease Control, the prescribing rate in Maine ranked first for long-acting/extended-release opioid pain relievers for every 100 people in 2012. Maine ranked 22nd for benzodiazepines.

“They add to the overdose deaths, then they kill people when they're coming off of them,” Kelley said.

The danger, he said, is that withdrawing from benzos can lead to seizures, hallucinations and even death.

Back in Saco, Coggins spends most of her time as a recovery advocate, helping women fighting substance-abuse disorder.

In December, she received her associate degree in behavioral health and human services, and this fall, she’s going for her bachelor’s degree.

She now has full custody of her daughter.

“This is who I am,” Coggins said. “All those charges and losing custody of my daughter, those aren't who I am. Today, I am proud of who I am."